The 26-year-old, who will start for Scotland in Sunday's Calcutta Cup clash against England at Twickenham, made his debut for the club in 2007 and has agreed a new deal until May 2013.

"I've loved being part of Edinburgh's development in the last four years, and I'm excited by the
prospect of helping the club push on," he said.

"As a player, you always want to be part of a set-up that's going forward and I firmly believe that this is the right environment for me to carry on maturing.

"I look forward to enjoying more good times with Edinburgh. It's great to have my future sorted out, and I'm thrilled that future is with Edinburgh."

Nick Scrivener, Edinburgh's interim head coach, was thrilled to retain the services of Ford, who toured with the British & Irish Lions in 2009.

"Ross putting pen to paper is a massive boost for everyone," he said. "He's a huge player for us in every sense, and re-signing someone of that quality is a positive signal about where we're at as a club and where we want to go.

"We're looking to him to really be a leader, in terms of his own performance and how he influences those around him, and we look forward to working with him to ensure he continues to go from strength to strength over the next couple of years."